The field of the art to which this invention pertains is the production of food grade wax from a feedstock containing wax. Hydrocarbon feedstocks containing wax is used to produce wax and particularly food grade wax which is in commercial demand. These feedstocks contain sulfur, nitrogen and aromatic compounds and must be refined and separated to produce food grade wax which meets stringent purity specifications. Hydrotreating is utilized to react a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock and a hydrogen-rich gaseous stream with a hydrotreating catalyst to remove sulfur and nitrogen, and to saturate aromatic compounds. This is accomplished by contacting the particulate catalyst with a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure and in the presence of hydrogen so that the sulfur components are converted to hydrogen sulfide, and nitrogen components to ammonia. Hydrotreating is typically employed to reduce the concentration of nitrogen and sulfur in feedstocks: A typical hydrotreating catalyst contains hydrotreating metals and/or other promoters on a porous refractory oxide support. Hydrotreating metals usually include Group VIB and/or Group VIII active metal components supported on a porous refractory oxide support such as alumina.
Although a wide variety of process flow schemes, operating conditions and catalysts have been used in commercial activities to produce purified wax, there is always a demand for new and more advantageous methods. The present invention is able to produce food grade wax from petroleum-derived feedstocks.